great to be with you. i'm brooke baldwin. you're watching cnn. get ready for what could be a blizzard of, quote, epic proportions. this whopping 75 million people in the united states in the eastern united states now set to be in the path of this winter storm. we're talking as much as 2 feet of snow through kentucky through new jersey. right in the middle of it is our nation's capital. already dealing with a painful preview. the mayor apologizing after a dusting of snow last night

caused this. hundreds of accidents, folks just stuck. commutes dragging on for six hours. meteorologist tom sater is joining us. he knows washington well. tom sater, not fun at all. >> last night was a sucker punch but old man winter, but the real fighting begins in the next 24 hours. unfortunately, our blizzard watch now in red is a blizzard warning for washington, baltimore and philadelphia. the models are in agreement to drop 20 to 30 inches. the blizzard watch was extended to include new york and long island. they will deal with heavy snow and zero visibilities and strong winds. there are 19 states that have have warnings. this is just the winter weather. look at the radar and what you'll find here is a tornado watch for areas of eastern texas into louisiana. that is going to drop not only some damaging winds and large

hail but the concern for tornadoes in the deep south. once the storm starts to ramp up, we'll find a center. that's very important because without a center we're not going to know the exact track. will it move out in the atlantic or will it curb to the north. that mean erg for those in northern new jersey and new york city. right now models want to give you 2 inches or 20. that's right. so we'll need more time on new york. the icing already starting to shape up. significant icing up to a half inch is going to knock out power to maybe a couple million. then we're looking at the heavy snow to build upon that. if it is 1 to 2 feet, that's going to be amazing with the strong winds. the storm surge on the coast could rival that of superstorm sandy. quickly a look at the models. this is a big concern. there's been no waivering when it comes to washington, d.c. this is the american model. new york has dropped down to 2.

but that's so uncertain without the track of the storm this could be 20. so we have to watch that one closely. >> i know you will. we'll chat next hour. thank you so much, tom sater. to politics we go. . senator ted cruz is getting hit by his own party after sarah palin e endorsed donald trump. cruz faced this withering criticism in "the new york times." quote, nobody likes him, end quote. those words from the republicans presidential normal e knee and former senator from kansas bob dole. dole did not stop there. he went on to say a cruz nomination would be, quote, cataclysmic for republicans. here's a quote. if he is the nominee, we're going to have wholesale losses in congress and state offices and governors and legislatures. dole said trump was the only candidate who could stop cruz

and crtrump could work with congress because he's got the right personality and he's kind of a deal maker. now cruz turned the attack to his favor pinning trump the most unconventional candidate of the election season as a pawn of the establishment. listen. >> can you believe away we need is more deal making, more going along to get along to use his phrase, with harry reid and barack obama and the democrats. then you can understand why the establishment is unifying behind him. but if you think that's what got us in this mess in the first place and you want someone who will stand up to washington, i am the only one in this race who has a proven record of standing up to leaders of our own party and standing with the american people insisting for real change. >> let's talk about this with our chief political correspondent dana bash and our political reporter. great to see both of you. just to begin with you, talk to

me about the chatter behind the scenes on capitol hill. this growing opposition against senator cruz and is it a coordinated chatter or just accidental chatter aum coming together? >> there's no secret meet k or anything with our plotting against ted cruz. universal on capitol hill.- i u spent the morning talking to senators and the feeling is more urgent they cannot see ted cruz win iowa. he'd have a good chance of winning the nomination and affect races. ted cruz would lose the presidency if he wins the republican nomination.

>> with this by being poisoning does it really matter. i don't think the outcome will be different. i think the domestic and foreign policy is gibberish. ted cruz has a reputation of being ideological to a fault and when it comes to problem solving he'll have a difficult time proving he's a problem sofler. >> the challenge for cruz will be if he gets the nomination will be uniting his party behind him. but a number of republican senators who i talked to said it would be very hard for him to get unity behind his candidacy arguing that the things he's done, the tactics that he's pursued have really caused deep divisions within his party. dan coates told me that these wounds are just too deep to heal. these are the kinds of things we're going to hear running up to iowa. >> when we talk about the wounds and you have been on capitol hill long before cruz was a senator. why don't people like him?

>> lots of reasons. i think one main one is that the feeling, never mind democrats. this is members of his own party. i should add not one republican senator has endorsed ted cruz. he's gotten some house members, but not one republican senator. that says everything you need to know. but the answer is because going back to the second he walked through the doors of the capital, his whole m.o. has been to not give him u. to not compromise at all. that's what made him the' row out among many in the conservative base, but it's made him a to rye ya in the halls of congress because the art of legislating is the art of compromise. and he is a take no prirdss, no compromise kind of guy. talking about the republican primary process, whether it's for the senate, as he was before

or now for the president, that is something that he probably is wearing as a badge of honor. but when you need to actually get things done and you consider putting together a piece of legislation as getting things done, a lot of people are thinking, you know, this is not the way you come to congress. and more importantly on his personality, brooke, a lot of people think that this brand he's cultivated as a no compromise guy is about his own future, his own political path that he's trying to take now and not really genuinely about kind of being a good republican citizen, if you will. >> stay with this, but flip ipi it a bit. we talked earlier about the news when the iowa governor came out and said i want cruz defeated and would that galvanize the cruz campaign. cruz is now portraying trump as the establishment guy.

say what? >> exactly. this is hard to swallow at first blush, but let me kind of explain to you what they are trying to do strategically inside the cruz campaign with this. as i just mentioned, his whole mo, his whole brand is no compromise. i have a record of fighting against the washington establishment. they think they have an opening with donald trump talking more and more about the fact that he makes deals and that he gets along with everybody, an opening to try to paint him -- and i should say an opening because you have people like bob dole and veteran. s saying he would be better than cruz. they have an opening to say, you know what, if you get trump it's more of the same. he's going to compromise on your principles. what principles does he have? her trying to chip away at what has been donald trump's whole campaign so far, which is that he's an a outsider, he's different, they are trying to

make him, guess what, he's just like everybody else and i'm the only one with a proven record. it's going to be interesting. i think personally hard to see if that flies with republican primary voters, but they got to give it a try. >> orrin hatch on cnn actually was going to give ted cruz some ammunition. he thinks cruz could be a good nominee. better than ted cruz. he thinks he can appeal to democrats potentially. that's going to be another indication for ammunition for the cruz campaign to say the establishment is getting behind donald trump. >> look for the byline on cnn.com. thank you both. just a quick remienlder to all of you as we're talking iowa. next monday night in iowa, one week before the caucuses, on the democratic side, bernie sanders, hillary clinton, martin o'malley will go face to face with the voters in the state of iowa.

it's a cnn democratic presidential town hall live from des moines. this is the candidates' final pitch before the first votes are cast. that's next monday night live at 9:00 eastern only here on cnn. coming up next, carly fiorina and her campaign being accused of ambushing preschool kids for a pro life rally. they were on a field trip. one parent is not exactly happy. plus did vladimir putin order the murder of a former russian spy. a new report accuses the russian president in a poisoning plot. we'll talk live with the friend of the ex-spy. and stunning new e-mails from michigan officials shrugging off complaints about the toxic water in flint, michigan. why they said, nothing to worry about. hiccups they said as families were possibly poisoned. you're watching cnn, i'm brooke baldwin, don't move. reduce my risk of progression.

and everywhere i look... i'm reminded to stick to my plan. including preservision areds 2. my doctor said preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula that the national eye institute recommends to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd... after 15 years of clinical studies. preservision areds 2. because my eyes are everything. inthe mid-size van, from mercedes-benz. it's got small-ability

and big-ability. towing-ability and stowing-ability. rack-ability and hvac-ability. it's fully customizable and sized just right to give you cupcake-ability, entourage-ability... ...garage-ability and even afford-ability. starting at $28,950. available in cargo or passenger. from mercedes-benz. i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. and give her the strength and energy to stay healthy. who's with me?! yay! the complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. take life in! you premium like clockwork. month after month. year after year. then one night, you hydroplane into a ditch. yeah... surprise... your insurance company tells you to pay up again. why pay for insurance if you have to pay even more for using it? if you have liberty mutual deductible fund™,

you could pay no deductible at all. sign up to immediately lower your deductible by $100. and keep lowering it $100 annually, until it's gone. then continue to earn that $100 every year. there's no limit to how much you can earn and this savings applies to every vehicle on your policy. call to learn more. switch to liberty mutual and you could save up to $509. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

do something! get on the floor! oh i'm not a security guard, i'm a security monitor. i only notify people if there is a robbery. there's a robbery. why monitor a problem if you don't fix it? that's why lifelock does more than free credit monitoring to protect you from identity theft. we not only alert you to identity threats, if you have a problem, we'll spend up to a million dollars on lawyers and experts to fix it. lifelock. join starting at $9.99 a month.

welcome back. you're watching cnn. carly fiorina's campaign is dismissing claims she ambush eda group of preschoolers. the children were visiting the des moines botanical garden when the republican candidate ushered them into a stage for an anti-abortion rally. we have following this today. let's begin with facts. what happened? >> it seems according to the guard. en, which first reported this story, that at least one parent of these 15 preschoolers is complaining that they were ushered into this rally focusing on anti-abortion issues without the parents giving permission pr this. this was in des moines yesterday. the campaign says that's not the case. carly fiorina was actually hanging out with the kids watching and they had fun they followed her with their parents and their teachers into this event. in which they were pictured with

the front of the stage, with the pictures of an unborn fetus. there seems to be some conflict about exactly what happened. >> what is the carly fiorina campaign saying? >> they are saying there's nothing wrong that happened here. they are saying there was some good interaction between the candidates and the kids, but they had so much fun that they went into the event and got some stickers and there was no issue here and the reason they went into this event is they had such a good time interacting with carly fiorina and watching the coy in the botanical gardens in des moines. it's one of these things that it's a he said shsh she said situation. some of these events, especially for a candidate that's struggling to get some traction in the polls, things happen in an imprompt tu way. >> steven collins, thank you. coming up next, he was

murdered after drunking tea laced with poison. this bomb shell revelation surrounding the death of this russian spy. did vladimir putin play a role in his poisoning? we'll talk to a close friend. that's next. also under pressure. the governor of michigan releasing hundreds of e e-mails and documents linked to the flint water crisis. within the e-mails and among the revolutions whose office is to blame. we'll be right back. in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in the hudson valley, with world class biotech. and on long island, where great universities are creating next generation technologies. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today

at business.ny.gov yourbut the omega-3s in fish oil differ from megared krill oil. unlike fish oil, megared is easily absorbed by your body. megared. the difference is easy to absorb. i drive to the hoop. i drive a racecar. i have a driver. his name is carl. but that's not what we all have in common. we talked to our doctors about treatment with xarelto®. xarelto® is proven to treat and help reduce

the risk of dvt and pe blood clots. xarelto® is also proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with afib, not caused by a heart valve problem. for people with afib currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. you know, taking warfarin, i had to deal with that blood testing routine. i couldn't have a healthy salad whenever i wanted. i found another way. yeah, treatment with xarelto®. hey, safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems.

xarelto® is the number one prescribed blood thinner in its class. well that calls for a round of kevin nealons. make mine an arnold palmer. same here. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto®. you premium like clockwork. month after month. year after year. then one night, you hydroplane into a ditch. yeah... surprise... your insurance company tells you to pay up again. why pay for insurance if you have to pay even more for using it? if you have liberty mutual deductible fund™, you could pay no deductible at all. sign up to immediately lower your deductible by $100. and keep lowering it $100 annually, until it's gone. then continue to earn that $100 every year. there's no limit to how much you can earn and this savings applies to every vehicle on your policy. call

to learn more. switch to liberty mutual and you could save up to $509. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. digestive core.r so choose ultimate flora by renewlife. it has 30 billion probiotic cultures. feel lighter and more energized. ultimate flora. more power to your gut. this is a real life russian murder mystery that ten years later may finally have been solved. a british investigation is revealing that vladimir putin, quote, probably approved an operation to kill former kremlin spy. his friends call him sasha. let me back up. remember this man from this

photo here. it was taken three days before his death. before he died, he said that while he was having tea in a london cafe, two men poisoned his drink. we know that poison was the highly lethal. his decline looked like food poisoning. severe vomiting and a low white blood cell count. then hair loss, kidney damage and then cardiac arrest. so in a span of 23 days, he died. merely untraceable, doctors identified it was the chemical. today a british high court judge said those two men were former russian agents and putin likely ordered the poisoning. his widow is the driving force behind this investigation. she's long echo ed this.

>> my husband spoke on his death bed when he accused of his murder. >> she's now calling for economic sanctions and travel bans against some russian officials including vladimir putin. let me bring in alex goldfar b a scientist and close friend of the spy. he served as the family spokesperson after his death. alex, thank you so much for joining me. >> thank you. >> i know you have been fighting this fight for a very, very long time. but first, let me get your reaction to these findings including the fact that putin perhaps okayed this, ordered this. >> it's a great day for us. we have been waiting for this for ten years and went through many stages actually of this inquiry happened because she had a court order el itting government they should have this

inquiry. so the naming of putin as the person responsible for commissioning this murder was actually surprising. it's probably based on the secret government files which i reviewed behind closed doors. but otherwise this is what had to be expected. actually as you have already mentioned, sasha said this on his death bed. it was putin who ordered the murder. >> the judge uses the word probably, what's the next step? how likely do you think any of this could lead to formal charges. >> well, to have formal criminal charges and written to apprehend the suspect and bring it to court, this is not likely -- definitely not likely with

regard to ruputin. but also the two perpetrators whom russia e refuses to extradite. >> can you just remind all of us of your friend's history as an agent and how he did criticize vladimir putin. you knew him very well. was he ever aware or nervous about a potential target on his back? >> well, he was an officer in the organized crime division of russian secret service, which is equivalent to fbi agent focusing on organized crime. and he actually complained back in 1998 about rampant corruption and criminality in the company,

the agency personally to putin. then they started pressuring him as a whistleblower and he ended up accused of some nonexistent crimes. the court acquitted him and when mr. putin became president he fled russia and asked for asylum in britain. after he's been here for about two or three years, he was approached by the british secret service to help them with countering russian organized crime in europe and he ended up as an mi-6 consultant and also consultant of continental security services trying to look at the penetration by russian organized crime. >> so a full resume, but as you point out, this is a huge day r

for you. ten years in the making. thank you so much. i appreciate your time. >> yes. coming up next, republican presidential contender john kasich calls himself the prince of light and hope and chris christie fires back calling him satan. that's next. plus the flint water crisis worsening as michigan's governor releases pages and pages of private e-mails. up next we'll talk to a man who took matters into his own hands. got his friends together and started delivering water door to door. we'll be right back. aren't moving in the right direction,bers it can be a burden. but what if you could wake up to lower blood sugar?

imagine loving your numbers. discover once-daily invokana®. with over 6 million prescriptions and counting, it's the #1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's a once-daily pill that works around the clock. here's how: invokana® reduces the amount of sugar allowed back in to the body through the kidneys and sends some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for weight loss, it may help you lose weight. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, especially when you stand up. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, urinary tract infections, changes in urination, high potassium in the blood, increases in cholesterol, or risk of bone fracture.

do not take invokana® if you have severe kidney problems or are on dialysis. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. tell your doctor about any medical conditions, medications you are taking, and if you have kidney or liver problems. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase risk of low blood sugar. imagine life with a lower a1c. are you loving your numbers? there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name. there's no one road out there. no one surface... no one speed... no one way of driving on each and every road. but there is one car that can conquer them all. the mercedes-benz c-class. five driving modes let you customize the steering, shift points, and suspension to fit the mood you're in... and the road you're on.

the 2016 c-class. lease the c300 for $399 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer.

is our partnership with habitat for humanity. pg&e is committed to clean energy and part of that commitment our mission is to build homes, community and hope. our homeowners are low-income families, so the ability for them to have lower energy cost is wonderful. we have been able to provide about 600 families with solar on their homes. that's over nine and a half million dollars of investment by pg&e, and that allows us to provide clean energy for everyone here. it's been a great partnership. together, we're building a better california. just past the bottom of the hour. you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. on the trail, another political attack to talk about coming from

chris christie. his target fellow governor john kasich. both lagging far behind donald trump and the rest of the republican pack and most polls, but a few new polls indicate kasich gaining in new hampshire over the last couple days. kasich has referred to himself as, quote, the prince of light and hope. but chris christie, yeah, he's not having that. >> that sounds a heck of a lot more than satan than the prince of hope. i'm known john for a long time. i have been around when his colleagues talk about him. i have heard john called a lot of things. the prince of light and hope has never been one of them. >> let's go straight to phil mattingly, who is braving the cold in new hampshire. listen, it gets ugly on the trail. what's this about? >> reporter: it's about the urgency of this moment, brooke. you mentioned donald trump. he's 20 points ahead of the vast majority of the candidates in new hampshire. but for people like kasich and

jeb bush and rand paul, new hampshire is everything. 19 days away from the primary voters going to the polls here. for those four individuals, this state is make or break. what you're seeing from chris christie while a little tongue in cheek, is a reflection of the attacks he's been receiving. people spending millions of dollars attacking christie. a little bit of frustration flashing there, brooke. >> you mentioned trump as well. one of the questions we have talked so much about iowa and how this could be a huge indicator of how it goes, a lot of fans, a lot of support for donald trump. what are you hearing in new hampshire as far as the fans turning into actual voters? >> the amazing thing is regardless of the campaign you talk to, i'm talking on the ground operatives, new hampshire veterans, the trump enthusiasm is real. it will turn into votes and will win new hampshire going away. an interesting element, it's kind of historic that voters don't decide until late in new hampshire. they keep a a top three or four

for a long period of time. then in the last couple days is when they decide. the latest cnn poll out yesterday said 43% of likely republicans polled still hadn't made up their minds. while donald trump has a great lead, it sounds like it's going to maintain that. there's a lot of time left. when you talk about the second tier of candidates, a lot of time left to move and for somebody to break out. >> phil, thank you. a blated welcome to the cnn family. >> thank you. as promised here in a move to promote transparency, the michigan governor revealed hundreds of pages of e-mails. it spans 2014 and 2015 and shows in part how officials responded to this growing debacle. as things worsen, one e-mail seems to blame the people of

flint. the former chief of staff writes, quote, state environmental officials feel that some in flint are taking the sensitive issue of children's exposure to lead and trying to turn it into a political football and trying to shift responsibility to the state. the real responsibility rests with the county, the city and the local water authority, end quote. president obama in detroit said people, parents, you have a right to be angry. >> you can't shortchange basic services that e we provide to our people and that we together provide as a government to make sure that public health and safety is presumed. i know if i was a parent up there, i would be beside myself that my kid's health could be at risk. >> with me now is harry hampton, a michigan native who lives near flint.

he round ed up a group of friens and bought $500 worth of water to hand out to the people there in michigan. so nice to have you on. i'm curious, there are people in this world who are talkers and there are people who are doers. everything i have read about you, you're a doer, sir, and also feel like you have gotten this second chance. tell me why you have done what you've done. >> brooke, how you doing? we just felt the need to come out and try to help some people in flint because this could happen if any city, to anybody's kids. if it were my kids, i would want somebody to reach out and help us. >> i'm not on the ground there in flint. we talk about this crisis and i have talked to parent who is are frustrated. what did you see? how are these folks able to shower? how are people able to cook? how difficult is it to get bottled water where you are? >> it's so difficult. it's so decemberlated. it looks horrible. i can't believe how do you run a

restaurant, take a shower, i don't understand how you can do it. i don't understand how they are going to fix this problem. everybody can bring water, but we want to get into the main solution and try to fix the pipes and get to the main solution. >> what makes you unique, harry, is that you are an ex-convict so your buddies are ex-convicts as well. but you have had this ability to galvanize this movement of sorts from folks from all walks of life to lend a hand there. >> that was awesome. i never expected nothing like that to take place. . i got a great set of friends. we all just banded together. we got to do something. that was one our mottos inside the walls. don't talk about it, be about it. that's what we're doing. try to help these people. >> we've been getting dish don't know how much you have been plugged in.

talking about the e-mails and talking about folks in flint initially complaining calling them the anti-everything people and referring to the crisis as merely a hiccup. i imagine you're a proud michigander. to think your state government failed these people of flint, are you surprised? >> well, brooke, that's a loaded question. i don't want to say anything to make myself or my people look bad, i've seen state officials do this for years. pass the buck. the governor said the buck stops here. let's really see that. because we have heard that in the past. politicians talk a good game, but the people have been failed. people are dying. they need some help up here. >> harry, how many children do you see day-to-day there in flint who don't have clean

water? >> i'm not a resident of flint. let's clarify that. i come here once a week and i roller skate. i skate here. i see a lot of people. i have a lot of friends up here. so the things that i hear, it's horrible. it's really horrible. the children are really suffering. >> tell e me one story. help us understand what's happening there. >> well, i really can't draw any stories tr you. i can just tell you what i see. the city is like a ghost town. nobody is outside. this used to be a really vibrant city. nobody is really outside. it's just like it's dead here. >> when you knock on these doors, just final question, when you knock on the doors, you're bringing in this bottled water that you have bought yourselves. what are these people saying to

you? >> they are just so elated. they just really happy that somebody cares to come right into the community and bring the water for me e and my friends to see how desperate a person can become just for a bottle of water. it's sad it should come to that. >> harry hampton, good on you. thank you so much. thank you for all you're doing. >> thank you, brooke. thank you so much. coming up next, chilling video of a speeding truck flipping over and over. look at this. a passenger goes flying right there spotlighted. you'll see what happens, coming up. plus an nfl team hiring the first female full-time coach. hear where she's going and how the players react, next. cry-proof, stay-proof look?

neutrogena® makeup remover does. it erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena. wthat you can book on our apps to make sure your little animal, enjoys her first trip to the kingdom. expedia, technology connecting you to what matters. you know the symptoms when they start. abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. now there's prescription xifaxan. xifaxan is a new ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. and xifaxan works differently. it's a prescription antibiotic

that acts mainly in the digestive tract. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin, rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. if you think you have ibs with diarrhea, talk to your doctor about new xifaxan.

that's why i switched from u-verse to xfinity. now i can download my dvr recordings and take them anywhere. ready or not, here i come! (whispers) now hide-and-seek time can also be catch-up-on-my-shows time. here i come! can't find you anywhere! don't settle for u-verse. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv.

it is a question one niemann gets all the time. when you see him you'll know why. here's dr. sanjay gupta with this eke woo's turning points. >> when he was pulled from the audience on jimmy kimmel, he seemed like a typical kid. >> he was sent back this this chair. >> you sure it was me? >> but looks can be deceiving. >> how old are you? >> 36. >> mario has a rare condition. his gland was damaged when in utero. it means his gland doesn't make enough growth hormones. he spent much of his childhood in and out of hospitals.

>> i had to watch my sit comes. i'd crawl up into the bed and watch barney miller. why? because i wanted to be an actor. >> he got parts on tv in spite of and because of his size. >> how old are you? >> how old do you want me to be? >> when doctors suggested the actor take testosterone, he said u no. >> my life was okay, my career was moving forward. they say don't break something that did you want feed to be fixed. >> 43, he's added author to his list of accomplishments hope in to inspire others. . >> i'm happy being me, this height, this size, this weight. >> all 90 pounds of him. >> how about that? thank you. now to this crazy video.

this is from brazil. it captures a driver losing control of his truck and spotlighted the driver. flipped four times and hitting the ground. broken bones. this happened where local media is reporting the flooifr may have been under the influence of alcohol. in sports the list of women breaking gender barriers in men's professional sports just got a little longer. the buffalo bills fired their first full-time female assistant coach. she will be the first special teams quality control coach. the nfl hired its first female referee last year. joining me now is christine brennan. good to see you. >> great to see you, brooke, thanks for having me on. >> explain to me when we're talking quality control special teams. what exactly will she will

doing? >> brooke, there are so many assistants on top of assistants these days in the nfl coaching that it does get a little mind boggling. what it means special teams are very important. that's kicking, punting, kickoffs and she will be overe seeing, as best as i can tell, what's going on there. there's a special teams coach as well. she will not be that person, but quality control, i'm guessing would involve film, coaching, psychology, chatting with the players, being involved with the team meetings with the other coaches because she is the first woman nfl assistant coach ever. so all the meetings with rex ryan, the head coach of the bills, and has quality status with those other coaches and obviously very involved with all the nuances of special teams. >> rex ryan is an outspoken guy and then some.

this is his second surprising hire in the off season on his coaching staff. are you surprised by this? >> i'm not surprised. they are coming and we see them in our neighborhoods every day playing sports who grow up and go to college and want to be involved in sports and administration. she was at st. john's in 2007 and was manager of the medicinemedicinn's basketball team. we see women with the training squad. everywhere you look you see women in some kind of staff role around college football, women's basketball, and other sports. they are there. they played sports and want to have careers in sports. and now they are getting those opportunities. i have to say you asked it being a surprise for the national football league. this is a no brainer. 45% of the fan base for the nfl is female. they have to to do a better job and are going to do a better job in hiring women and getting women involved in it all levels

of the game. >> wondering about how she'll be received by the players. let me share this. the bills defensive lineman tweeted this had. i know you'll do a great job. richie incognito seen as a bully when taught to have harassed a teammate. that said, will she be supported? >> i think so pause the head coach hired her. i can't imagine rex ryan would tolerate some hazing of an assistant coach. that's exactly the opposite in the power grid of his team. you have your assistant coach who is supposed to looked up to. also these young men now were born in the '80s and '90s. they went to their sister's sporting events. they are not their father's football players. they are from an entirely different era. they are title 9 men. so maybe i'm being a little polly annaish, but they have a different level of respect for

women in sports than their fathers or grandfathers. so not only i believe will they u respect her and understand that this is the hire by rex ryan so that is that, but also i think it's in their nature to be more respectful of girls and women in the earliest ages watching their sisters play soccer and basketball and now women are coming millions of them every year. we're pumping them out because of title 9. they are going somewhere and here's another example of where they are going. >> good on those guys. christine, thank you. coming up, cars abandoned in the streets, grocery store shelves cleaned out, all of that after 1 inch of snow last night in washington, d.c. so are they ready for what could be coming next? lessons learned from 2008. is the clinton campaign now

shifting their strategy and setting sights beyond iowa and new hampshire? we'll talk to a clinton senior advis adviser, next. that are lighter in calories and added sugar when you use splenda no calorie sweetener. think sugar, use splenda

♪ light piano today i saw a giant. it had no arms, but it welcomed me. (crow cawing) it had no heart, but it was alive. (train wheels on tracks) it had no mouth, but it spoke to me. it said, "rocky mountaineer: all aboard amazing". tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to

improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. text mom. i'll be right back. be good. boys have been really good today. send. let's get mark his own cell phone. nice. send. brad could use a new bike. send. [siri:] message. you decide. they're your kids. why are you guys texting grandma? it was him. it was him. keep your family connected. app-connect. on the newly redesigned passat. from volkswagen. other wireless carriers make families share data.

not t-mobile! switch now and get four lines with up to six gigs each. and no sharing. just thirty bucks a line at t-mobile. the sun dance film festival opens today, the largest festival of america's most prestigious. the hot films take on controversial issues. race relations, gun violence, isis. stephanie e lom has this preview. >> hollywood types grab the

parkas and come here to utah for the sun dance film festival. that means the glam, but the real draw is the movies. >> it really sets the tone for the year in culture. >> reporter: for film makers this festival is the place to be. >> it's the only place to get a high profile launch for a nonfiction film. a lot of these films go on to get caught by television networks and distributors and make a big difference. >> fiction or a documentary, the slate of films may ruffle some feathers. >> a lot of the most anticipated films are not only controversial but are are seeking that controversy. you have documentaries about anthony weiner, isis, a film called "birth of a nation" about a slave uprising. >> reporter: no matter the topic, every film maker comes looking to make a deal.

>> there are netflix, amazon, hbo, show time, cnn, all of these different venues that are going to sun dance looking for great movies to buy. >> the ultimate goal, turn sun dans buzz into gold. >> don't the italians? >> this film last year was bought by fox search. a year later it it's in the oscar race. >> stars can get some shine from junedance. "boyhood" was nominated for best film and led to oscar wins. >> were you rush organize dragging? >> jennifer lawrence was nothing before she had a tiny movie at

sundance. that movie got a lot of attention and became a huge star. >> you will find another mocking jay. >> a huge star and an oscar winner. >> so chances are a few of the films debuting here may be coming to a theater near you. stephanie elam, park city, utah. >> stephanie, thank you. now starting our next hour, i'm brooke baldwin. thank you for being with me. it's threatening some 75 million people and could ground thousands of flights. get ready for what's shaping up to be the first massive blizzard of the year. how big are we talking? apparently as much as 2 feet of snow from kentucky all the way up north to new jersey. for some of the southern states, it could mean that dread ed ice. meteorologist tom sater is with us now watching all these different states. who gets the worst of it, tom? >> washington, d.c., in fact,

we're still kind of looking at what's going to happen in new york. that's a tremendous different when you're getting so close to the storm. that's a foot of snowfall. that's a lot of real estate. then the darker wink. >> we're not sure if the storm is going to slide out or move up the coast. that still remains to be seen. in the yellow, that's a watch including long island. 30 million americans in the blizzard watch and a warning for d.c. and baltimore. 19 states right now are under warnings.

that's for winter weather. a tornado watch right now in eastern texas into. louisiana. isolated tornadoes with this. this is unheard of in the month of january to have that type of severe weather risk. when the snow starts to come down, it's going to be significant ice in tennessee and the commonwealth. that's going to knock power out to millions. not to mention the millions that could lose power with the heavy amounts of snow. the winds kicking up on the coast will be a problem too. look at the icing. remember we have an nfl playoff game in charlotte on sunday. they are canceling rallies right now, but there could be without power in many locations and neighborhoods. as the storm ramps up on the coast. this model carries it north and wants to drap a good foot of snow in new york city. it keeps that 30 inches on the nation's capital. there's a full moon on saturday. we're going to see saturday

morning around 7:30 storm surge that could be much like superstorm sandy. so road crews are going to have to deal with strong winds. most likely i-95 will be shut down with the strong winds and snow. millions losing power, but also area airports will shut down. most likely reagan national, baltimore, philadelphia, newark and then we'll see what happens in new york city. . all of last year they had 18.3 inches in d.c. they will possibly pick that up in one day. >> i'm just giving into it saturday and not moving within a block of my apartment. tom sater, i pleesht you. thank you so much. a great resource for weather go to cnn.com for that. donald trump, arguably the most unconventional front runner of the 21st century now getting a new label. this one may be surprising, most

surprising thus far. he's being called the establishment candidate by his friendly foe texas senator ted cruz. >> right now the washington establishment is abandoning marco rubio. they made the assessment that he can't win this race. the washington establishment is rushing over to support donald trump. >> cruz made the statement after a soeeries of hits he took from the party. bob dole told "the new york times" this. quote, i don't know how he, cruz, is going to deal with congress. nobody likes him. it if he's the nominee, we're going to have wholesale losses in congress and state offices and governors and legislatures. let's begin with sara murray live in las vegas where a trump rally is happening this afternoon. establishment candidate, how is

that going over? >> brooke, up is down. . black is white. today donald trump, the guy who has said some of the most controversial things in this race is casting himself as a unifier. ted cruz is going after trump, a sitting senator saying it's actually trump who is the establishment candidate. a couple days ago trump addressed this to the media saying a number of republicans are calling his campaign. they want to get on board and he's not exactly sure whether that's a good thing. one thing is for certain you're seeing establishment republicans having this moment of reckoning looking at ted cruz and donald trump and saying, one of these guys could be the nominee and we better figure out which one is a lesser of two evils. >> what about ted cruz? ted cruz is campaigning with one big name and trump has specifically lashed out against that. tell me about that. >> reporter: that's right. ted cruz is going to be hitting the campaign trail with

conservative commentator glen beck. beck says it's not an endorsement, but it's a big name to have with you campaigning. . . this comes in the wake of donald trump landing the sarah palin endorse mement that ted cruz wo have liked to have. donald trump took to twitter to express his feelings on this. he said, wacko glen beck is a sad endorsement that cruz is desperately wanted. donald trump is mincing his words like he normally does. >> sara, thank you. donald trump may be winning more voters because of sarah palin's endorsement, but palin lost respect from veterans after she linked her son's arrest to president obama. here's the back story. . police in alaska arrested her son monday. he's been charged with domestic violence, assault and possession of a weapon while intoxicated. here is what sarah palin said

about track, who served in iraq in 2008 when george w. bush was president. >> my son, like so many others, they come back a bit different. they come back hardened. they come back wondering if there's that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airmen and every other member of the military so sack officially have given to this country. and that starts from that. the question, though, that comes from our own president where they have to look at him and wonder do you know what we go through? do you know what we're trying to do to secure america? >> today white house press secretary said u domestic violence, addiction are quote, not a joke. joining me is matthew miller, chief policy officer for the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. matthew, great to see you. >> good to be here with you, brooke. >> first out of the gate, you

saw sarah palin and heard her message. your reaction? >> brooke, veterans issues should not be left right or center. ter america's issues. i think the governor missed an opportunity on about three levels by politicizing post-traumatic stress disorder. she missed an opportunity to use her platform, to use her fame to call attention to a very serious issue, post-traumatic stress. she missed an opportunity to talk about veterans corps and expansion of those. they exist in 40 states and provide u alternative sentencing for veterans that may commit crimes due to mental health issues. and lastly, as a parent, she missed an opportunity to talk to track and encourage him to seek help in a private way. we have 80% of our e respondents

to the latest survey that e we do said that it was a parent or a loved one encouragement that caused them to go seem help. >> ptsd is not to be politicized, you're echoing what your colleague, the head of your organization said publicly. what does it say to you that trump agrees with what sarah palin said? in fact, from what i've read, he encouraged her to bring this up. >> trump and sarah palin, they may be kbieted to their opinion but not their own facts. the facts of the matter are that spending is an all-time high under president obama when it comes to funding veterans administration. we would rather prefer them talk about what they are going to do to help veterans if they are elected president. we've got all the candidates running. in ten debates they have

mentioned veteran 31 times with no specifics attached to that. that's what we would prefer them to do. talk about the fact that we need to decriminalize suicide attempts under the uniform corps of military justice. we need to expand the number of years veterans can apply for benefits. we need to look at the va and have them look at a best practices and talk about how they can best help veterans with mental health issues. >> thank you for the specifics, you read my mind. i wanted to hear what it is veterans want to hear from these candidates, o who thus far some haven't provided those. thank you so much. >> thank you and thank you for your support of veterans. >> you got it. thank you. coming up, less than two weeks out from the iowa caucuses. question, is bill clinton push ing for a strategy shift with regard to his wife's campaign? this as we learn the clinton presidential library will

release hundreds of pages of records detailing past ties to donald trump. we'll talk to a senior adviser about this in the elatest e-mail controversy. also did russian president vladimir putin order the murder of a former russian spy? a new bomb shell report accuses the russian president in a poisoning plot. also breaking news right now. word of a paris-style attack. armed militants stormed a beach front hotel and restaurant. we have a report, coming up. you're watching cnn. its sleek design... is mold-breaking. its intelligent drive systems... paradigm-shifting. its technology-filled cabin...jaw-dropping. its performance...breathtaking. its self-parking...and self-braking...show-stopping. the all-new glc. mercedes-benz resets the bar for the luxury suv. starting at $38,950.

this just got interesting. why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas for pulmonary hypertension, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache.

to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis and a $200 savings card perfect driving record. >>perfect. no tickets. no accidents... >>that is until one of you clips a food truck, ruining your perfect record. >>yup... now, you would think your insurance company would cut you some slack, right? >>no. your insurance rates go through the roof. your perfect record doesn't get you anything. >>anything. perfect! for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. and if you do have an accident, our claim centers are available to assist you 24/7. for a free quote, call liberty mutual at switch to liberty mutual and

you could save up to $509 call today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. as long as you love me, it's alright bend me shape me, any way you want me you've got the power, to turn on the light shape the best sleep of your life. sleep number beds with sleepiq technology adjust any way you want it. the bed that moves you. only at a sleep number store.

welcome back. you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. 12 days until the iowa caucus. but for bernie sanders march 1st, 11 states head to the polls. sanders hiring staff in those states. one report bill clinton is feeling pretty nervous urging

his wife's campaign to get prepared. in the thick of all this hillary clinton says she has a different opponent trying to hurt her chances, the intelligence community. clinton brushing off reports from the inspector general this week that her private e-mail server contained above top secret information. >> this seems to me to be another effort of to inject this into the campaign. it's another leak. i'm just going to leave it up to the professionals at the justice department because nothing that this says changes the fact that i never sent or received material marked classified. >> her camp going farther claiming the head of the intelligence community conspired with senators. karen finney is joining me. a lot to go through. politics on the trail. this one report kalting that bill clinton maybe a little

nervous. in touch with his wife, in touch with the campaign about shifting strategy and focusing on march 1st on super tuesday. >> i thought that was an odd story. there have been a couple of them. i have spent times in those march states in the fall and november i spent most of them on the road going everywhere from colorado to alabama to minnesota. our chairman has been there. hillary clinton has been in louisiana, ohio, so we have been focused on the march states for awhile. we started -- but obviously, you don't want to take anything for granted. the strategy was we're going to focus on those four early state, but slowly start to ramp up in those other march states because one of the things we know is that having a strong infrastructure and a grass roots organization is really critical to the operation. so part of what i did was to go out and rally the troops and get people excited. it was bret to see the enthusiasm that people have out there. >> with regard to the former

president and his role here, is he reaching out to the campaign? is his role growing? is he more active? is he picking up the phone every day and calling the head of the campaign? you know things. >> he's her husband. he's the former president of the united states so he's getting regular updates. when he's on the road, he will send back here's what i'm seeing. again, let's remember we're also moving farther into the calendar. so we're getting closer to the point where we're going to start caucusing in iowa and voting in new hampshire and hopefully continue to move to south carolina, nevada and on to the march states. >> let me get your response to this. there was a request of bill clinton's presidential library releasing records connected to donald trump. what will that show about their relationship? >> i don't know we're going to

learn anything new. i don't know. this is the library paper. it will be just as much of a surprise as it will be to you. >> no idea president bush. >> no idea. but can i say something? regardless of what those papers may or may not say, it's very clear what donald trump's campaign is about right now. that's bigotry and bluster and it's trying to take this country in a completely different direction. that's part of why hillary clinton has spent so much time talking about what is at stake in this election because trump may use language that's more, shall e we say, colorful than his other oopponents, but it's the same policies. it's going backwards on immigration reform, women's health care. whatever was said back then, what matters the most is this election and who is going to be the person that is going to deliver results to the american people. >> on trump, the big endorsement this week from sarah palin. your and the campaign's reaction

to that. >> great for him. >> what does that mean? >> you know, sarah palin is someone who is obviously very popular in the base of the republican party. so great for him. >> is that good for hillary clinton? >> i u don't know we think of it in terms of good or not. we're very focused on our side of things and on our race. >> on e-mails, let me e read this report. a quote from josh roggin. intelligence officials are not immune from politics but clinton's team cannot prove that mccullough is leaking against them. that can only muddy the waters. if the campaign decides to go after the fbi, it will be picking a fight with a formidable opponent. this is about the latest revelations of the super top secret classification and the thought from the campaign that this was a conspiracy. your response to that? >> i'm going to make two points

on that. let's just point out that this i.g. last summer asked for the justice department to do a review. they started that last summer. that process is ongoing. so it's sort of questionable why that i.g. would continue to selectively leak information to republican members of congress, who frankly have already said publicly their goal in all of this is to take down hillary clinton. >> this is the most revealing than before. >> some say e-mails were innocuous. that's one inspect r general. there are others that disagree. nbc news reported yesterday, there are others in the intelligence community who not only disagree, but they themselves, this is not us, this is insiders from the intelligence community saying this gentleman has unfairly targeted hillary clinton. so i think there are questions out there. >> what would the motivation be?

>> they have made it very clear they want to take down hillary clinton. they have said that. they were very honest about it. i'm asking if you have asked for a review of information and that process is ongoing, why would you do anything to interfere with that. >> with all due respect, where's the evidence? >> i think the evidence is in the fact that we have continued to see this pattern and the idea being they are trying to stir the pot and that's fine. they can continue to do that. we're going to keep focused on winning in iowa, winning in new hampshire, the race is tightening. so we know that senator sanders, his record is being more closely scrutinized. we raised today serious questions about his idea on iran, normalizing relations with iran. the idea we should ask saudi arabia and the iranian troops to

come together in a coalition when they are mortal enemies? so we're going to stay focused on our campaign and making sure people know, as i have said to you before, why hillary clinton is the one who is going to deliver results. >> we'll see the candidates monday night at our town hall. thank you. a reminder, monday night please join us hiere on cnn. a democratic town hall live in des moines, iowa a week before the caucuses. that's monday night at 9:00 eastern here on cnn. coming up next, breaking news in somalia. armed militants battling special forces after an attack at a beach front resort. some of the gunmen arrived by boat. you're watching cnn, we'll be right back. when i lay in my tempur pedic contour- the next thing i know it's morning. with tempur-flex you've got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress then it also adjusts to my body. my cloud feels like somebody's hugging you. how can a bed to that? (vo) this year, change your life with tempur-pedic.

breaking news, we are getting word of this paris style

attack underway in the somalia capital. armed militants have stormed a beach front resort and hotel complex and somaliaen special forces are exchanging gunfire. some of the attackers arrived by boat and a suicide car bomber rammed the front gate of this restaurant. let's go straight to africa. start at the beginning. when did all this begin? >> brook, at around 7:30 p.m. local time is when people reported the first explosion. a very loud explosion heard on this thursday night. what we can tell you is the attackers lured security guards from inside the complex by shooting at the gate. that's when a car bomb was rammed into the gate. we're not sure how attackers

made it from the beach area into the hotel complex, which was very up. it would have been filled with people swimming, playing soccer and eating and drinking as well. so we understand the attackers came by boat or somehow on the beach, but there's a number of security guards on the beach so that's why security sources tell us these attackers came by boat and started exchanging gunfire with security. that's when intelligence was called as well. they have been battling for hours. >> this is ongoing. thank you very much. we'll stay in contact with you. back here at home, michigan lawmakers proving $28 million to fix the lead-laced water in flint. what about the lingering health effects for people who drank it for months and months?

we'll go to dr. sanjay gupta who is there, live in flint, michigan. out there. no one surface... no one speed... no one way of driving on each and every road. but there is one car that can conquer them all. the mercedes-benz c-class. five driving modes let you customize the steering, shift points, and suspension to fit the mood you're in... and the road you're on. the 2016 c-class. lease the c300 for $399 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. you know the symptoms when they start. abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. now there's prescription xifaxan. xifaxan is a new ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. and xifaxan works differently. it's a prescription antibiotic that acts mainly in the digestive tract. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin,

rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. if you think you have ibs with diarrhea, talk to your doctor about new xifaxan. (two text tones) now? (text tone) excuse me. (phone tone) again? be right back. always running to the bathroom because your bladder is calling the shots? (text tone) you may have oab. enough of this. we're going to the doctor. take charge and ask your doctor about myrbetriq. that's myr-be-triq, the first and only treatment... ...in its class for oab symptoms of urgency... ...frequency, and leakage.

myrbetriq (mirabegron) may increase blood pressure. tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder, or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions. if you experience... ...swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue or difficulty breathing, stop taking myrbetriq and tell your doctor right away. myrbetriq may affect or be affected by other medications. before taking myrbetriq... ...tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure... ...common cold symptoms, urinary tract infection... ...and headache. it's time for you to make the calls, so call your doctor to see if ...myrbetriq may be right for you. visit myrbetriq.com to learn more. boy: once upon a time, there was a nice house that lived with a family. one day, it started to rain and rain. water got inside and ruined everybody's everythings. the house thought she let the family down. but the family just didn't think a flood could ever happen. the reality is, floods do happen. protect what matters. get flood insurance. call the number on your screen to learn more.

digestive core.r so choose ultimate flora by renewlife. it has 30 billion probiotic cultures.

feel lighter and more energized. ultimate flora. more power to your gut. michigan lawmakers voted to release $28 million in emergency funding to handle this massive water crisis in the city of flint. but the mayor there says it will take at least $1 billion to fix this. the infrastructure, the public health issues, et cetera. one of the researchers in the study says parents and caregi r caregivers are overwhelmed with grief and helplessness. >> a mother was crying to me on the phone. she said i poisoned my kids for over a year when i was giving them that water. even. if i tell her it's not her fault, what good does that do? >> cnn's chief medical correspondent dr. sanjay gupta is live in flint, michigan. you talked to the doctor who first sounded this alarm about this tainted water in flint.

this all came out over a dinner? >> reporter: yeah, in some ways that's absolutely right, brooke. this doctor she was having dinner with a friend of hers who works at the epa. this dates back to august of 2014. and this colleague of hers from the epa said they switched the water over from detroit to the flint river, which is just here behind me, brooke. that's going to increase the lead in the water significantly. and that sort of got the doctor on her crusade. she started looking at previous lead levels in children and started comparing them to current lead levels and found they doubled and even tripled in some situations. so it's a what really start ed this. there was no formal announcement, nobody specifically looking all the this. it came can about over dinner. >> how bad is this? you're there, you see it. >> reporter: brooke, it's one of those things. first of all, we trust water.

you turn on the tap. >> we take it for granted. >> reporter: you take it for granted. people have said had that, but think about that for a second. people did that for awhile here as well. even though the wart looked a different color, it smelled funny, it tasted funny, they just kept getting told it's hard water, don't worry about it, it's fine. it's just really remarkable what happened here. how bad is it? lead in the water is one of these things if it gets into a developing body, a child's body, it's irreversible. it binds so strongly to tissues in the body that you -- it's impossible to remove. it can have effects not just currently, not just now but also many years in the future. so a child could have cognitive defendants, developmental delays, it could happen when they are a teen. you'd be wondering was it the lead? was it that time period back in

2014 that caused this? you don't know. it's psychological as well as the physical. >> anything the parents can do to. ep these kids counter those effects as they are growing up? >> reporter: yes, and i've talked to some of the experts here. this may sound simplistic. people talk about the importance of good nutrition and good education. why is good nutrition important here? you think about lead coming into the body. it's looking for places to stick. if you have a good diet and lots of iron in your diet, calcium in your diet, you have filled up a lot of those receptors. . so when the lead comes in, it has a harder time finding places to stick. so a good diet makes a difference. e we also know lead can cross into the brain. it can cause intellectual impairments. so early childhood education becomes so much more important here. not just a euphemism, but a con

e crete way to lessen the effects. 40% of the city is impoverished. there's a life expectancy that's 10 to 20 years lower than the rest of the state. it's a tough place even without all this. >> i'm so glad you're there. please keep shining the light on this horrible problem. sanjay gupta, appreciate it. please watch the full report tonight. next will smith speaks out about the lack of diversity u in oscar nominations. he says it's not about him getting snubbed. more on what was said about the industry just this week.

♪ light piano today i saw a giant. it had no arms, but it welcomed me. (crow cawing) it had no heart, but it was alive. (train wheels on tracks) it had no mouth, but it spoke to me. it said, "rocky mountaineer: all aboard amazing". this is something we have been talking about day after day after day on this show. the oscar nominations, the lack of diversity after the academy only selected white actors for

the second year in. a row. jada pinkett smith got. the discussion going when she announced she would not attend the oscars. others followed suit including her husband will smith who was expected to be nominate d for hs role in "concussion." >> this is so deeply not about me. this is about children that are going to sit down and they are going to watch this show and not going to see themselves represented. >> let me bring in todd johnson, managing editor. by the way, chris rock will be on the cover of your march issue. so nice to have both of you here. thank you for taking the time. to you first. hearing will smith, your response to his message. >> i think it's a very valid point he's making.

the whole issue at the end of the day is inclusion. that residenates whether you're talking about in front of the camera or behind the camera. when you see an academy made up of predominantly white males, where's the inclusion in that? you have to ask yourself will this ever change? will we see the top four acting categories where there is d diversity if the people in the room making those decisions about the vote aren't representative of the community that the diversity that's out there in the world. >> this isn't breaking news. i read your piece and said u we have to get you on today because todd wrote about eddie murphy and when he spoke in 1988. let's go back in time. this is part of what e he said addressing the lack of diversity then. i just feel that we have to recognized as a people. i want you to know i'm going to give this award but black people

will not ride the ka boss of society and we will not bring up the rear film. i want you, the academy, to recognize us. his remarks are germane today. >> they are still relevant today. eddie was on stage at the show during the live show at the podium making this a point. he was very focused and he was giving the award and he admitted he would do that, but he wanted this to be known. it's important to note this issue has been going on far before eddie murphy. >> should we have an eddie murphy moment this february? >> with chris rock hosting the oscars, anything can happen. with all the controversy around osc oscar, this is his opportunity to speak the truth and power. e he never holds his tongue. this is an opportunity to really call people to the carpet for this that we're seeing time and time again. >> what about beyond? speck lee clarified saying i never brought up the word

boycott. i'm going to the knicks game instead. but those who do choose to go, to me it could be beyond a chris rock host iing and beyond the r carpet. it could be folks gives awards as well. not just african-americans. >> not at all. i u think this year the oscars will be about disrupting what is normal. disrupting what the status quo is. the red carpet won't just be focused on the best actors or actresses or directors. we'll be talking about real life issues. you have george clooney, mark ruffalo and diversity. i think these are issues that needs to be talked about at the oscars, spike is talking about the knicks game and pro sports and other avenues and areas that americans are crazy about. there's no reason why we can't talk about important things and also things like the oscars. >> let's not forget that the

president of the academy is an african-american woman. and she's come out very directly and said that she realizes there's a problem that needs to be addressed. there need to be some procedures, some disruption of the way that this academy is the makeup of the academy so there can be an opportunity for more inclusion and for more people of color in general. women, the gamt to be recognized. >> thank you both very much. i appreciate your voices today. in mere minutes, a new cnn poll will be released of iowa. f fascinating dynamics on both sides of the presidential race. we'll have those numbers at the top of the hour. we'll be right back.

you premium like clockwork. month after month. year after year. then one night, you hydroplane into a ditch. yeah... surprise... your insurance company tells you to pay up again. why pay for insurance if you have to pay even more for using it? if you have liberty mutual deductible fund™, you could pay no deductible at all. sign up to immediately lower your deductible by $100. and keep lowering it $100 annually, until it's gone. then continue to earn that $100 every year. there's no limit to how much you can earn and this savings applies to every vehicle on your policy. call to learn more. switch to liberty mutual

and you could save up to $509. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. ♪ light piano today i saw a giant. it had no arms, but it welcomed me. (crow cawing) it had no heart, but it was alive.

(train wheels on tracks) it had no mouth, but it spoke to me. it said, "rocky mountaineer: all aboard amazing".

this has been so fascinating learning more about my colleagues all week long. we've been sharing stories about the people who changed our lives, the lives of us anchor types here at cnn. this is all part of the cnn special, it's airing sunday called "the person who changed my life." and right now is the story of my colleague, she's already laughing, carol costello. >> four, three -- >> good morning. i'm carol costello, thank you so much for joining me. i have always wanted to be a tv reporter since i was 12 years old. i cannot tell you the sense of excitement. really easy to feel the hope and the love. take a look at all of those people. i watched mary tyler moore, she worked in the news business. and i loved her. she was independent.

she was strong. she was sassy. she was everything that i wanted maybe it was a little of mary's spunk to -- i was 21 and working as a reporter in akron, ohio. i needed some guidance. i needed to work in a bigger market, so i took a big risk. ron at the time worked in cleveland. so i called him one day out of the blue and he dane to talk to me. >> somebody came and drove through town and said i'm in town, could i talk to you. i said why not. the guy driving the 13a bus may be a better talent than, you know, the anchor you have on the air right now. >> we just struck up a great conversation. and it got to be a relationship. and i called him every two weeks for the next i would say for the next three years. and those phone calls consistentconsistent of advice, encouragement.

i needed it. i was struggling. my confidence was shot after i was fired from tv 23 in akron. and i said to him, i don't think i'm ever going to make it in journalism. and he told me to be patient. he just gave me the courage to continue. >> how are you doing? >> good. >> good seeing you. >> ron was right. my patience paid off. when he became the news director here at wsys in columbus, he hired me. do you remember where your office was? >> yeah, it was over there, i think. >> i always wonder the fact you took my call meant the world to me. did you realize that? >> no. >> really? >> no. what i got out of our conversations was that you got what the business was all about. this is somebody that has got more meat on the bone than most of the people that i talk to. >> what was my role? >> i thought you were one of my best reporters. and so i always wanted you to be covering stuff that i thought was some of the most important

things in the community. and at that particular time the city had somewhat of a crime problem. >> and sometimes you just don't care. that's exactly how violent kids are living their whole entire lives. the best advice ron ever gave me was finding that nugget of information that makes me different from every other reporter on the air. but ron's advice was often harsh. he didn't mince words. i would bring scripts to you. and you would look at them and you'd say, this is a piece of [ bleep ]. >> uh-huh. because it was, right? >> right. >> i'm not politically correct, but i'm -- but i care. no matter how rough, hard, obnoxious i was. it wasn't mean-spirited. it was, damn it, i want you to be good because i know you can be good. >> today she was telling me she had a crappy news desk one day, hiding behind a computer and you threw an apple at her. >> i liked his bluntness because

i always knew where i stood with ron. ron certainly had his share of haters. he was the news director at ten stations across the country, but there are others just like me who appreciated his candor and the way he pushed us to succeed. joe johns, many thanks to you. joe johns and i work now at cnn, but more than 30 years ago joe worked for ron in charlotte. >> ron belek was the greatest learning experience i could have ever had in this business. a masters in television without having to pay tuition. i can't say i enjoyed it 100% because it was so tough, but i'm very thankful for it because even to this day in sticky situations i know how to do it. and i think of ron balek. >> that's exactly how i feel. i did. he hired me here. >> hi. ali sa henry, i have heard her name before. >> he is a legend. >> yeah. you're a legend. >> while ron had a knack for coaching on-air talent, he was always happy to stay behind the scenes. it took a lot of convincing to

get him to do this interview. what was your hesitation? >> i'm extremely shy. i don't think i look good, i mean, as you guys know there are no pictures of me. >> that's kind of odd, ron. >> i'm kind of an odd guy, you know. >> were you surprised that you were the person that made the most impact in my life? >> yeah. i was taken back. i thought it should be a parent or a priest. >> see, that probably says something pathetic about me. >> i was going to say. yeah. i sit back and say, whoa. >> exactly what is wrong with her. >> my god. >> but i'm a career oriented person and i always have been, right? you taught me how to do television. that was me. young and energetic. ron helped me channel that enthusiasm into success. thank you so much for stopping by. really appreciate it. >> i'm at the gym when you're on the air. >> so you're forced to watch me. >> well, yeah. >> what am i doing right? what am i doing wrong?

>> well, i wanted to tell you, stop saying i appreciate you being with me. that says you're shocked that they would be willing to be with you. >> i can take anything. i've been fired three times. and i've always bounced back. and i credit ron with giving me the toughness to survive. so i think i did become my own version of mary tyler moore. >> if i don't like you, i'll fire you. >> fine. >> if you don't like me, i'll fire you. >> i had to ask myself who was my lou grant? ron was. because lou was gruff. he didn't quite know how to talk to people, but he was lovable in a weird kind of way. and that's ron balek. thank you, ron. >> carol costello, i have goosebumps for you. i love him. >> i keep expecting ron to call and say, you know, that story was a piece of -- >> stop running that. i'm done with me. i'm done with me. >> i know. >> did he have -- i mean, he seemed honest to goodness surprised that he was your person. >> oh, yeah. he's a very shy man. very introverted.

doesn't like to be on television. doesn't like attention. doesn't think anyone likes him. and he doesn't realize how many reporters out there and anchors on the air today are there because of ron balek. the only thing i regret like why didn't he ever tell me, um, carol, your hair was really, really bad. please change it. >> listen, we've all been through different generations of hair issues. let's not even -- whatever, we're human. did he really chuck an apple at somebody sitting behind the computer? >> he did. he was hard core. >> you can't do that now. >> oh, no, you can't get away with the stuff that he did. but for some reason it made me work harder. there was something about that. but i said, you know what, i know he's doing this because he cares. not many bosses give you that much time. >> the fact that you, if i may, the fact you picked up the phone and called him every two weeks for three years, talk about gumption and, you know, panache. >> it was desperation. >> well, you done all right.

and you look amazing. whatever you're drinking, eating, whatever, amazing. carol costello, ladies and gentlemen, i loved the piece. thank you so much for sharing it. >> thank you. do not miss our two-hour special "the person who changed my life" this sunday night 8:00 eastern here on cnn. i'm brooke baldwin. thanks for being with me. let's go to washington. "the lead" starts now. just a dusting parol liyrol the nation's capital last night. what's going to happen tomorrow? brace yourselves, new blizzard warnings issued. possible snowstorm of the century inching closer to the east coast. 75 million people in its path who may not be able to dig themselves out for days. are you one of them? donald trump holding a rally in las vegas this hour as some brand new cnn polls debuting on "the lead" have some very interesting news for the